Outreach Events Specialist

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Job Requisition ID:

2026-01549

Time Type:

Full time

Employee Group:

Staff

Job Category:

Event Management

Employment Type:

Permanent

Department:

Faculty of Mathematics - Centre for Education in Math and Computing - Operations

Hiring Range:

$56,494.16 - $70,617.70

Posting Information:
This posting is for an existing vacancy.

The internal posting deadline for this position is August 7, 2026 at 11:59PM

Job Description:

Primary Purpose

The Centre for Education in Mathematics & Computing (CEMC) is Canada’s largest and most recognized outreach organization for promoting and creating activities and materials in mathematics and computer science and is housed within the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo. Our mission is to increase interest, enjoyment, confidence, and ability in mathematics and computer science among learners and educators in Canada and internationally. We do that through a commitment to our core values: future readiness, access, community, and impact.  As such, the CEMC is the first point of contact at Waterloo for a significant percentage of our future undergraduate and graduate students and their parents. Through outreach activities, the CEMC has perhaps the largest set of external points of contact amongst any unit on campus.

The Outreach Events Specialist reports to the Operations Manager, CEMC and is accountable for managing all facets of CEMC events, including event administration strategy, planning and implementation, logistics, inventory, budgeting and evaluation and provides a central point of contact for a myriad of internal and external stakeholders, to advance the CEMC’s mission, image, profile and reputation as a world-class leader in Mathematics and Computing education to local, national and global audiences. These activities include contest creation and marking events, student workshops, teacher conferences, CEMC Visits Schools program and many other face-to-face and virtual outreach activities as well as providing operational support for the 12 Mathematics and 3 Computer Science contests. The Outreach Events Specialist collaborates with the design, production and distribution of CEMC marketing materials while maintaining brand cohesion, including various posters, flyers, brochures, swag, gifts and prizes. They also provide administrative support for the CEMC’s undergraduate Mathematics/Teaching program.

Key Accountabilities

Outreach Events Management

• Accountable for planning, ongoing management, delivering, evaluating and reporting on CEMC in-person and virtual events, including but not limited to: student workshops, teacher conferences, student awards and recognition banquets, contest creation committee meetings and contest marking events
• Manages the logistics of all events, which include booking accommodations, travel, parking, catering, room bookings, A/V, printing events materials, dress events sites, set-up, take-down and transport all boxes, banners and events related materials
• Collaboratively creates engaging, authentic, informative and fun events with CEMC faculty coordinators, CEMC and Waterloo staff, faculty, co-ops, casual support and volunteers
• Recruits and manages employees and volunteers to support and collaborate in the delivery of events
• Proactively identifies best practices and process improvements in event coordination and management
• Establishes measurement targets to monitor and assess the effectiveness of engagement initiatives, including but not limited to web analytics, event attendance, surveys, etc. and providing reports to senior leadership and faculty events leads
• Implements project management strategies to prepare detailed schedules, identifying critical milestones and deadlines to ensure that events are managed on time and within scope
• Maintains a database and filing system for vendors, suppliers, and venues with up-to-date details of annual Service Level Agreements (SLAs), contact information, etc.
• Adheres to all applicable health and safety procedures, instructions, and directives
• Supports the Operations Manager and Financial Coordinator in the development and monitoring of the CEMC annual budget as it relates to planned events and supporting activities
• Manages events within defined budgets (i.e. $10,000 to $50,000 per event)
• Acts as the subject matter expert on University policies and procedures as they relate to events, specifically Policy 31 and corresponding Hospitality expense guidelines, ensuring pre-approvals are granted for exceptions to the Policy
• Reviews all events webpage content on a regular basis to ensure up-to-date information is accurate and available for the CEMC global client base
• Collaborates with the Contest Administration Specialist to develop and execute an on-going training plan to provide support, and full-back-up, for events and CEMC Visits Schools management, including inventory management

In-Person and Virtual School Visits

• Manages the administration and logistics of the CEMC Visits Schools program. This involves liaising with contacts in schools to plan and organize the program logistics for local, domestic and international visits as well as the virtual visit program. This encompasses both responding to school requests and soliciting visits to targeted schools directly
• Supports colleagues in Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach group and faculty program leads with the execution of their strategic goals and objectives for both outreach and Waterloo recruitment and admissions
• Collaborates with CEMC leadership to assign visits, support travel, accommodations, and any other logistical and administrative needs that they may have
• Maintains visit records for end-of-year school visit reporting for funding
• Develops client survey instrument tools and reports on feedback to enhance program experience
• Ensures the technical components of virtual visits including technical equipment and software platforms are secured and/or tested
• Reviews CEMC Visits Schools webpage content on a regular basis to ensure up-to-date information is accurate and available for the CEMC global client base

Administrative Support for Mathematics/Teaching program

• Provides administrative support to Director, Mathematics/Teaching
• Is responsible for all records, data analytics, and management of students in the program (intent to graduate, add/drop courses, grade change requests, program changes, transfers, modifications, sequence change, etc.)
• Monitors and responds to all prospective and current students, acting as the first point of contact for all program enquiries, interprets, applies, and assists students in comprehending program
• Supports the coordination of the co-operative component of the Mathematics/Teaching plan. This includes, but is not limited to, liaising with co-op employers to support administrative needs, books placement interviews, maintaining records of placement locations, details and associated administrative support

Marketing and Communications

• In collaboration with the Integrated Communications Specialist, supports the development and implementation of an integrated communications plan for the promotion of events, using both print and electronic media and materials
• Acts as the first point of contact with internal and external stakeholders to provide knowledgeable and timely communication to ensure the delivery of successful events
• Maintains ongoing positive relationships with colleagues, partners, vendors and CEMC stakeholders to ensure consistent engagement with outreach activities and resources
• Ensures consistency, accuracy and excellence in quality and content of messaging
• Ensures that all unit initiatives and participation in events align with CEMC brand, guidelines, and standards
• Manages and monitors web-based communication for promotion, registration, waitlists, travel, general enquiries, post-event feedback, etc.
• Collaborates with the Information Systems team and faculty events leads on the development, management, and maintenance of the online events registration system

Administrative Support and Back-Up

• Supports the administrative logistics and execution of 12 Mathematics and three Computer Science contests offered by the CEMC
• Other duties as assigned by the Operations Manager

Inventory Management

• Manages annual events and CEMC Visits Schools materials, supplies and swag supply inventory, tracking materials usage
• Creates or supports the design of swag materials, engaging vendors, determining items that align with CEMC brand and style guides, receiving product and submitting quotes and final invoices for approval
• Using available year-over-year participant data and future engagement projections, pro-actively anticipates supply demands to ensure inventory is available to meet client needs, meets established order placement and shipping deadlines and accurately anticipates volume increases
• Prepares to be highly flexible and adaptable to changes in inventory management and product availability under tight time constraints, being aware of the cost/benefit and implications adjustments have to other events leads, team members, suppliers and participants
• Exercises fiscal responsibility related to procurement
• Purchases required products on unit purchasing card (P-card) in accordance with relevant budget and project plans, reconciling monthly statements using established University and CEMC guidelines, procedures and processing requirements.

Required Qualifications

Education

• University degree in event management, public relations or hospitality, or equivalent post-secondary education or equivalent education and/or work experience.

Experience

• 5+ years of deep experience and expertise in managing and promoting large scale and high-profile events, including production, partnership building and community engagement
• Previous experience as event facilitator as well as an accomplished project manager who can envision and articulate the goals and objectives of the project, create clear project plans, manage cross-functional teams who contribute to the project, and collaborate with multiple project participants to ensure a successful outcome
• Experience and a proven aptitude for success in solving problems is required
• Experience with project management and workflow software, such as Asana and/or Jira an asset
• Experience with event management software an asset
• Disciplined approach to planning and project execution with exceptional attention to accuracy and detail
• Independent judgment in areas of time management, task prioritization and decision-making
• Proven ability to multi-task, manage a large work volume, conflicting priorities, and deadlines
• Exceptional verbal and written communications skills
• Proven leadership and volunteer management experience
• Experience developing, monitoring, and managing budgets
• Experience with technology platforms, specifically Teams, Zoom and other 3rd party event software
• Scheduling and coordination expertise with a focus on virtual event logistics and experience deeply rooted in best practices
• Reporting expertise for pre- and post-events including registration, attendance, general product metrics and event surveys

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• The incumbent must be strategic, analytical and insightful, able to assess and interpret the various factors affecting the successful planning and execution of events on campus, within the community and virtual and be experienced in developing event management approaches to address these
• Must have a superior understanding of event management and best practices
• Ability to exercise proactive project leadership, communicate effectively to project participants who need to understand progress, and identify risks/mitigating strategies before problems occur
• Must have superb planning and organizational skills, be able to work simultaneously on multiple initiatives with demanding deadlines and manage time/resources accordingly
• Proven ability to manage high volumes of activity, multiple tasks and constant change while demonstrating the ability to maintain confidentiality, ensuring sensitivity to the needs and interests of a variety of stakeholders and support the functioning of diverse teams
• Proven ability for delivering quality events in a high-performance environment, with multiple projects, stakeholders and competing deadlines
• Demonstrated strong interpersonal skills
• Exceptional attention to detail is essential
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills under very tight deadlines is required
• A high level of independence is required requiring excellent judgment in areas of time management, task prioritization and decision-making
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in, and contribute to, an integrated and collaborative team environment and to apply a calm, positive team approach to working with colleagues
• Outstanding political acumen, negotiating skills, conflict management and the ability to influence others is essential
• Collaborative team player who is comfortable providing and taking constructive input from multiple sources
• Knowledge of communications planning, creative brief development, event marketing and advertising, media relations, and social media are an asset to this role
• Knowledge of University policies and procedures considered an asset
• Valid Standard First Aid & CPR- C is an asset
• A valid driver’s license is required
• Intermediate to advanced skills in MS Word and Excel
• Obtaining and maintaining a clear Vulnerable Sector police check is a condition of ongoing employment.

Equity Statement

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is coordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion.  As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

Positions are open to qualified candidates who are legally entitled to work in Canada.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at [email protected] or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.